Show RIP VAN WINKLE the lull in active mining operations chronicled in this western country twenty or thirty years ago has resulted in the retirement for an unbroken rest of more than one rip van winkle and many of these sleepers are still wrapped in their slumbers or seemingly t so judging from the enforced idleness S of many meritorious mining properties in our various mining camps it is a fact that every mining state has its full share of characters such as washington irving has so graphically painted in his most interesting story of sleepy hollow but they are gradually gradual ay coming back to life again and are joining the grand gra nd army that is bringing inspiration and pro progress aress to the canyons and mountains of this western country it is a noteworthy fact however that the east has more rip van winkles to the square mile than is the case in the west and they are to be found in the larger commercial centers in new york boston st louis chicago and in many of the smaller towns these individuals were interested in mining in utah and the west a quarter of a century ago many of them made big money out of the mining industry when the lull came when silver was de when lead was low and but little in demand and when copper was practically worthless and with but an exceedingly limited market many eastern mine owners after patenting their holdings in this country retired to their holes pulled the holes in af after ter them and ever since have been occupants of sleepy hollow meanwhile a mighty change has come b over the horizon of the mining industry of the west where once the silence of the grave prevailed there is now wonderful activity in camps once almost entirely deserted big dividend paying mines are now adding constantly to the imperishable wealth of the world to the circulating medium of the country old mines have been bated prospects of but recent date are now producing mines the much despised deposits of copper are running neck and neck with o old in public estimation and esteem and lead mines are in favor with the bonanza king and with the wall street bondholder in fact a new generation with its vim and push has infused new blood into the mining industry of this intermountain region while the old sleepy hollow people still sleep unaware of the changes that have occurred of the fact that their old holdings are worth double what they were twenty five years ago t and but very few of them have ventured forth to inquire into the causes which have made the west the popular investment center for eastern money in every mining camp in utah almost there are old mines which have not been worked for many years they are to be found in park city in bingham tintic gintic ophir alta american fork stockton and the districts in beaver county nearly all of these old properties are patented but it is often the case that it is ia ext extremely difficult to find the owners or their ad addresses dresse h these old mines are greatly in demand at the present time they never were scientifically or intelligently worked in most instances it is safe to say that they are ten times more valuable today than when they were first discovered and yet they are in enforced idleness because their owners have not awakened to the fact that this country is on thu top wave of prosperity as far as the mining industry is is concerned more than a score of men are trying today to obtain possession of some of these old mines in almost every instance I 1 they are owned by some rip van winkles of sleepy hollow who refuse to be awakened who are too old who are still living in the past refusing to recognize the brilliant future and who prefer to let their hold holdings ings remain idle rather than to make the exertion to ascertain for themselves that these things are true As a result the mining industry to a certain extent is retarded valuable mines remain unworked and those who could reap a harvest will not do so because they have been asleep so long that the they y do not believe it possible impossible that conditions have hav e really changed we have the knocker with us always second to him to the detriment of the mining industry is the rip van winkle may each tribe grow less as the years roll by |